What You Need to Know About the 2026 Winter Olympic Games
By Matteo Morelli
Italy is ready to host the XXV Winter Olympic Games, introducing several new features that make these Games different from previous editions. Let’s go through some of the essential things you need to know, and don’t miss some useful Italian vocabulary at the end!
The 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games start on February 6th and end on February 22nd.
Approximately 2,900 athletes from over 90 National Olympic Committees are expected to compete at these Winter Olympics, making it one of the largest in history.
These Games will be the most gender-balanced Winter Olympics ever, with around 47% of athlete quota places allocated to female competitors (up from 45.4% at Beijing 2022).
There will also be a record-breaking number of LGBTQ+ athletes (at least 41 out) competing at these Games, the largest at a Winter Games.
For the first time in Winter Olympics history, the Games will span across two regions of Northern Italy, Lombardia and Veneto, as well as the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
The competition will be shared across multiple locations, or clusters. They are Milano, Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme. Each cluster will host specific disciplines, as follows:
- Milano: Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating.
- Cortina: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Curling, Luge, Skeleton.
- Val di Fiemme: Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, Skii Jumping.
- Valtellina: Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Ski Mountaineering (Olympic debut), Snowboard.
Because of this widespread geography, Olympic Villages will also be located across the different clusters, for a total of 6 different locations.
The Olympic Flame and Cauldron
The Olympic Flame has already been going through some of the most breathtaking places across Italy. The total journey of the Olympic Torch Relay is 12,000 kilometres across 110 Italian provinces, with 10,001 Torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame before it arrives at the Opening Ceremony.
The Milano-Cortina Games will introduce a new approach to the Olympic Cauldron: for the first time, there will be tow of them, one in Milano and one in Cortina. Each evening, the Cauldron will offer a light and music show, based on original music composed by Roberto Cacciapaglia.
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony will be hosted at Milano’s San Siro Stadium on February 6th, and for the first time there will be a multi-site celebration with actions also taking place in the mountain clusters. It is expected to have 1,200 volunteer performers from over 27 countries, with the youngest being 10 years old and the oldest 70 years old, and over 500 musicians involved in the recording of music. It is already being anticipated as one of the most exciting opening ceremonies in Olympic history. The lineup of stars includes Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, Lang Lang, Cecilia Bartoli and many others.
The Closing Ceremony will take place on February 22nd and it will be in another location, the stunning Arena in Verona, an historic Roman amphitheatre. This will be the first time that a Winter Olympic ceremony will be held at a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Figure Skating at Milano-Cortina
Figure Skating will start on February 6th, the same day of the Opening Ceremony, with its last competition on February 19th and an Exhibition Gala on February 21st.
The Team Event kicks off the competitions, with the ten qualified National Olympic Committees facing each other to determine the top five finalists, who then compete for the medals.
We will then switch to the individual events, with medals awarded in the following order: ice dance (23 teams), men (29 athletes), pairs (19 teams), women (29 athletes).
Figure Skating competitions will take place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, which has a gross capacity of nearly 10,000 spectators. This venue is not new to our sport: in 2018, the World Championships were hosted at this very same location.
Some Italian words for you
Let me end by sharing a few Italian words that could be useful if you are in Milano, or if you want to post about it and want to take things a step forward:
- Do you want to say hi? Just say this: Ciao! This is used both to greet when you arrive and when you leave, and it is an informal, friendly way to greet someone. Note: when meeting, Italians tend to either shake hands in formal situations or kiss on the cheeks in informal ones.
- If you want to be more formal or polite, you can say Buongiorno during the day, or Buonasera in the evening. These are not only a more formal way to greet someone, but they are also wishes in themselves (you literally wish someone to have a nice day or evening). For completeness, let’s also mention Buona Notte – good night.
- Grazie is the Italian for thank you. If you are very grateful for something, you can say Grazie mille, which literally translates as “thanks a thousand (times)”.
- How do you say Winter Olympics in Italian? Olimpiadi Invernali!
- Talking about our sport: figure skating is pattinaggio di figura, while ice dance is danza sul ghiaccio.
- We love using adjectives to describe things. Bellissimo means beautiful, but keep in mind that Italian is a Latin language, so adjectives change form: Bellissimo (masculine singular), Bellissima (feminine singular), Bellissimi (masculine plural), and Bellissime (feminine plural). It can be a bit confusing if you are not used to it, but trust me, you can use Bellissimo and no one will judge you!
- And if you want to say well done to someone, use Bravo if masculine or Brava if feminine (masculine plural: bravi; feminine plural: brave). If they really excelled, use Bravissimo or Bravissima (masculine plural: bravissimi; feminine plural: bravissime)!
- Lastly, food is a core part of Italian culture (did you know that Italian cuisine has received the first ever and only UNESCO World Cultural Heritage recognition?). To wish someone to enjoy their meal, say Buon Appetito. If you really enjoyed something, you can say it was Buonissimo (really good)!